UNIVERSITY OF THE CORDILLERAS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

CALC 1 DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS

MODULE 11: TRANSCENDENTAL FUNCTIONS

LOGARITHMIC AND EXPONENTIAL

FUNCTIONS
 UNIT LEARNING OUTCOMES
In this unit, here are the following desired learning outcomes:
✘ Recall the laws of logarithms and exponents.
✘ Differentiate logarithmic and exponential functions.
✘ Apply the principles of logarithms to differentiate functions
containing variables with variable exponents.

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 !! RECALL !!

Function

Algebraic Transcendental

Rational Irrational
Trigonometric & Exponential &
Inverse Logarithmic
Trigonometric

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 LOGARITHMIC FUNCTIONS
The logarithm of a number is the power to Although any positive number other than
which a constant called the base must be unity can be used as the base of any system
raised to give the number. Thus, of logarithm, we have only two systems of
practical importance. The first is the
logarithm to the base 10, otherwise known as
the common logarithm. The other system
𝑖𝑓
that has practical application is the system
known as natural logarithm, or the logarithm
𝑎>1 to the base 𝑒, where the number 𝑒 is given by
2.7182818285 …
We are imposing the condition that $a$ is
greater than 1 not only for simplicity but also
because it is the condition satisfied in all
cases of practical importance.
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 LAWS OF LOGARITHMS
1. 4.

2. 5.

3. 6.

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DERIVATIVES OF LOGARITHMIC FUNCTIONS

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EXAMPLE 1. EXAMPLE 2. 𝑑 log 𝑢 =
𝑑𝑢
𝑢
log 𝑒
𝑑𝑢
𝑑 ln 𝑢 =
𝑢
Find the derivative Find the derivative
of 𝑦 = log (4𝑥 + 3) of 𝑦 = ln 2𝑥 + 1
log 𝑎
log 𝑎 =
log 𝑏
Solution: Solution: Alternate Solution:
log 𝑎
log 𝑎 = log 𝑎=
Let: Let: Let: log 10

𝑏=5 𝑢 = 2𝑥 + 1 𝑦 = 4 ln 2𝑥 + 1 log 𝑎
ln 𝑎 = log 𝑎 =
log 𝑒
log 𝑀𝑁 = log 𝑀 + log 𝑁
𝑢 = 4𝑥 + 3 𝑑𝑢 = 4 2𝑥 + 1 2 𝑑𝑥 𝑢 = 2𝑥 + 1
𝑀
log = log 𝑀 − log 𝑁
𝑁
𝑑𝑢 = 4𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑢 = 8 2𝑥 + 1 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑢 = 2𝑑𝑥 log 𝑎 = 𝑛 log 𝑎

4𝑑𝑥 8 2𝑥 + 1 𝑑𝑥 2𝑑𝑥
𝑑𝑦 = log 𝑒 𝑑𝑦 = 𝑑𝑦 = 4
4𝑥 + 3 2𝑥 + 1 2𝑥 + 1

4 log 𝑒 8
𝑦 = 8
4𝑥 + 3 𝑦′ = 𝑦′ =
2𝑥 + 1 2𝑥 + 1
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EXAMPLE 3. 𝑑 log 𝑢 =
𝑑𝑢
𝑢
log 𝑒
𝑑𝑢
𝑑 ln 𝑢 =
𝑢
Find the derivative
of 𝑦 = ln log 𝑎 =
log 𝑎
log 𝑏
1 1 1 1 −8
𝑦 = − 𝑦= log 𝑎
2 𝑥+4 𝑥−4 2 𝑥 − 16 log 𝑎 = log 𝑎=
log 10

Solution: log 𝑎
ln 𝑎 = log 𝑎 =
log 𝑒

𝑥+4 /
1 𝑥 − 4 − (𝑥 + 4) −4 log 𝑀𝑁 = log 𝑀 + log 𝑁
𝑦 = ln 𝑦= 𝑦 =
𝑥−4 2 𝑥+4 𝑥−4 𝑥 − 16 𝑀
log = log 𝑀 − log 𝑁
𝑁
log 𝑎 = 𝑛 log 𝑎

1 𝑥+4 1 𝑥 − 4 − (𝑥 + 4)
𝑦= ln 𝑦=
2 𝑥−4 2 𝑥 − 16

1
𝑦= ln 𝑥 + 4 − ln(𝑥 − 4)
2
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 EXPONENTIAL FUNCTIONS
By an exponential function, we refer to the function given by

𝑎>1

where 𝑢 is some function of 𝑥 . The essential feature of above function is

that the base 𝑎 is a constant while the exponent 𝑢 is a variable. This is in
sharp contrast with the old familiar function 𝑢 in which the base 𝑢 is
variable and the exponent 𝑛a constant.

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 LAWS OF EXPONENTS
1. 4.

2. 5.

3.

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DERIVATIVES OF EXPONENTIAL FUNCTIONS

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EXAMPLE 4. EXAMPLE 5. EXAMPLE 6. 𝑑 𝑎 = 𝑎 ln 𝑎 𝑑𝑢
𝑑 𝑒 = 𝑒 𝑑𝑢

Find the derivative Find the derivative Find the derivative

of 𝑦 = 4 of 𝑦 = 𝑒 of 𝑦 = ln 𝑒 𝑥 𝑎 𝑎 =𝑎

𝑎
Solution: Solution: =𝑎
Solution: 𝑎

Let: Let: Let: 𝑎 =𝑎

𝑎𝑏 =𝑎 𝑏
𝑎=4 𝑢 = sin 𝑥 𝑢=𝑒 𝑥
𝑎 𝑎
=
𝑏 𝑏
𝑢 = 2𝑥 𝑑𝑢 = 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑥𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑢 = 𝑒 2𝑥 + 𝑥 𝑒 𝑑𝑥

𝑒 2𝑥 + 𝑥 𝑒 𝑑𝑥
𝑑𝑦 =
𝑑𝑢 = 2𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑦 = 𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑥𝑑𝑥 𝑒 𝑥

𝑑𝑦 = 4 (ln 4) 2𝑑𝑥 = 4 (2 ln 4) 𝑦 =𝑒 cos 𝑥 𝑒 𝑥(2 + 𝑥)

𝑦 =
𝑒 𝑥

𝑦 = 4 (ln 16)
𝑥+2
𝑦 =
𝑥
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 LOGARITHMIC DIFFERENTIATION;
VARIABLE WITH VARIABLE EXPONENT
In the preceding sections, we found it convenient to make use of the
properties of logarithms in order to find the derivative of a function 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥).
Let us pursue further the use of this technique of differentiation.

Sometimes, we meet functions of the form 𝑦 = 𝑢 where both 𝑢 and 𝑣 are

functions of 𝑥 . In finding the derivative 𝑑𝑦/𝑑𝑥 for this type of functions, it is
best again to take first the natural logarithms of both sides before
differentiating.

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EXAMPLE 7. EXAMPLE 8. 𝑑 log 𝑢 =
𝑑𝑢
𝑢
log 𝑒
𝑑𝑢
𝑑 ln 𝑢 =
𝑢
Find the derivative Find the derivative
of 𝑦 = 𝑥 of 𝑦 = sin 𝑥
log 𝑎
log 𝑎 =
log 𝑏
Solution: Solution:
log 𝑎
log 𝑎 = log 𝑎=
log 10

ln 𝑦 = ln 𝑥 ln 𝑦 = ln sin 𝑥 log 𝑎
ln 𝑎 = log 𝑎 =
log 𝑒
log 𝑀𝑁 = log 𝑀 + log 𝑁
ln 𝑦 = 𝑥 ln 𝑥 ln 𝑦 = 𝑥 ln(sin 𝑥)
𝑀
log = log 𝑀 − log 𝑁
𝑁

𝑦 cos 𝑥 log 𝑎 = 𝑛 log 𝑎

𝑦 1
=𝑥 + ln 𝑥 =𝑥 + ln(sin 𝑥)
𝑦 𝑥 𝑦 sin 𝑥

𝑦 = 𝑦 1 + ln 𝑥 𝑦 = 𝑦 𝑥 tan 𝑥 + ln(sin 𝑥)

𝑦 = 𝑥 (1 + ln 𝑥) 𝑦 = sin 𝑥 𝑥 tan 𝑥 + ln(sin 𝑥)

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 thanks!
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